Tom Banks

Thomas Sidney Banks Jr. (born August 20, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a center for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the St. Louis Cardinals in the National Football Conference (NFC). He also played two seasons in the United States Football League with the Birmingham Stallions. From 1975 to 1977 he was a member of an offensive line known as the "Great Wall of St. Louis", along with Dan Dierdorf, Conrad Dobler, Roger Finnie, and Bob Young, which gave up only eight sacks in 1975, the second fewest in NFL history for a season of 14 games or more. Banks was selected to play in the Pro Bowl four consecutive seasons, was twice an All-Pro, and was selected multiple times All-NFC. He was an All-Southeastern Conference center at Auburn University, a third-team Associated Press All-American, and was named to the Senior Bowl's 50th Anniversary team.

Early life Banks was born on August 20, 1948, in Birmingham, Alabama. His father Tom Banks played football at Auburn University. Banks attended John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham, where his father was the athletic director. His father had been John Carroll's head football coach during Banks's childhood. From a young age, Banks' father had Banks doing exercises to build up his physical fitness, including neck muscles. Banks played center on John Carroll's varsity football team for three years. Banks was a high school All-American as a senior.

College career Banks played college football for the Auburn Tigers. Because his father had played football at Auburn, Banks knew that is where he wanted to attend college as well. When University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant sought to recruit Banks, Banks told Bryant it would be a waste of Bryant's time. Auburn played in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during Banks' time playing in varsity football (1967 to 1969). Banks was reportedly 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and 205 lb as a freshman center at Auburn (though he was reported as 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) years later as an NFL player). The Associated Press (AP) named Banks to its SEC All-Sophomore team in 1967. Banks was selected to United Press International's (UPI) All-SEC team at center in 1968. The AP named him honorable mention All-SEC at center in 1968. In 1969, the AP selected Banks first-team All-SEC at center. The AP named Banks a third-team All-American in 1969. He was also an Auburn team co-captain that year. In 1998, he was named as an offensive lineman on the Senior Bowl's 50th Anniversary team, and in 2023, made it to the 75th Anniversary team. Banks' father had played in the first Senior Bowl. They were the first father and son to play in the Senior Bowl.

Professional career St. Louis Cardinals Banks was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round of the 1970 NFL draft, 189th overall. Banks credited Auburn's offensive line coach George Atkins with preparing him to play in the NFL. Banks considered Hanifan the best of all his coaches.

Great Wall of St. Louis (1975 to 1978) From 1975 to 1978, under offensive line coach Jim Hanifan, the Cardinals led the NFL twice in fewest quarterback sacks allowed and were the second and third best in the other two seasons. Banks started all 14 games at center each season from 1975 to 1977, and 15 of 16 games in 1978. His offensive linemates included Conrad Dobler and Dan Dierdorf at right guard and right tackle, respectively; Bob Young and Roger Finnie at left guard and left tackle; and Jackie Smith at tight end. Both Dierdorf and Dobler were also selected to the Pro Bowl that season. During his 1996 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech, Dierdorf said "'We were one of the greatest offensive lines that ever walked on the field'".

The 1975 Cardinals were the sixth best in the NFL in both rushing and passing yards, The Cardinals' offensive line only allowed eight total quarterback sacks in 14 games, leading all NFL teams that season; the next fewest being the Buffalo Bills at 22 sacks allowed. The eight sacks also tied a league record. In a season of 14 or more games, only the 1975 Cardinals offensive line and 1970 San Francisco 49ers offensive line (centered by Banks's former Auburn teammate Forrest Blue and known as "the Protectors") gave up eight sacks in an entire NFL season. Their record was broken in 1988, and eight sacks remains the second lowest sack total allowed for a season of at least 14 games. Banks started all 14 games at center, and was named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press and second team All-Pro by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and Pro Football Writers of America. Pro Football Weekly, The Sporting News, and UPI named him first-team All-NFC. He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl for a second straight season.

In 1977, the Cardinals gave up the second fewest sacks in the NFL (15), one behind the league-leading New England Patriots. Banks, Dobler, Finnie, and Young started all 14 games, and Dierdorf started 11 games. Banks was selected to the Pro Bowl for a third straight season, named second-team All-Pro by the AP and NEA, and selected first-team All-NFC by Pro Football Weekly, The Sporting News and UPI.

In 1978, the Cardinals gave up the third fewest sacks in the NFL (22). Banks was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth and final time, and was named first-team All-NFC by UPI, The Sporting News, and Pro Football Weekly.

Final Cardinals' years Banks started 14 games in 1979 (in a 16-game season), and only six in 1980. Banks was still named first-team All-NFC by UPI and The Sporting News. Only Young remained along with Banks as starters in most of the Cardinals games that season from the 1975 to 1977 lines, Dierdorf having suffered a serious knee injury that year.

In 1980, Banks was a team co-captain. He was also active in the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), and according to a Herald & Review press report, he was "an outspoken critic of Cardinals management". He had been the team's NFLPA representative since at least 1975. As early as February 1978, Banks had criticized Cardinals owner Bill Bidwell and team operations director Joe Sullivan over the manner in which the Cardinals operated, including, among other things, what were perceived to be substandard salaries. Speaking of the situation in early 1978, an angry Banks stated, "If Joe Sullivan is such a great wheeler-dealer, the best thing he could do for the team and for St. Louis is trade Billy Bidwell".

The Cardinals made Tom Brahaney their full-time starting center before the 1980 season. They moved Banks to guard on the offensive line, where he started six games. Banks suffered a knee injury during the season. He had missed four games when he was released by the Cardinals in late November 1980. Over 30 years later, Banks still called Hanifan the best coach he had ever had. Banks attributed the Cardinals' overall offensive success in 1975 to how Hanifan assembled and coached the offensive line.

Within days of being released, the Washington Redskins signed Banks. Washington released him just two days later. While preparing himself to find another team for which he could play in 1981, the knee pain he experienced while working out led him instead to announce his retirement from the NFL before the 1981 season.

Over his Cardinals' career, Banks was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, twice an All-Pro, and multi-time All-NFC player with the Cardinals. He played a total of 116 NFL games with the Cardinals, starting 110 of those games. Banks was enthusiastic about the opportunity to play in his hometown of Birmingham, where his family could watch him play, and where he could end his career in a positive fashion after leaving the Cardinals in difficult circumstances in 1980.

Honors In 1998, Banks was named to the 50th Anniversary Senior Bowl All-Time Team, having played in the 1970 edition of the game. In 2000, he was inducted to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. In 2014, he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal life After his football career, Banks worked as a bartender in Birmingham. Banks had his right hip replaced multiple times, and his left knee has been replaced. Banks suffered a wide variety of injuries throughout his body while playing at center, in addition to those leading to his knee and hip replacements. Early in his career, he suffered from headaches, which ended when he switched to a new type of heavier helmet (the "Gladiator") which was water packed and weighed considerably more than the standard helmet. While other players refused to wear the bulkier protective equipment, Banks used all of the extra padding he could as it was developed over the years. Banks became president of the South Alabama chapter of the NFL Retired Players Association, and in this role, he made retired players aware of their health benefits and informed them about health issues they might face. In describing the attitude of football players during his playing days, which included playing with injuries, Banks said "'I did what I wanted to do and I would do it all again. I loved playing football . . . Back then, and I would think it's still true now, it was a badge of honor not to leave a game. That's just what you did'".